For Daniel and Tirzah Hawkins, Where to Start Fitness in Stayton earning recognition as the Stayton-Sublimity Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Small Business of the Year is an exciting culmination of six years of being a community business.

“During this time, we have always tried to be active members of the community and give back as much as we can,” Tirzah Hawkins, co-owner with husband, Daniel. “We want people to know that there is a safe place they can go to get their health and fitness questions answered. It’s a gym owned by real people who have the same real life struggles as anyone else.”

The Hawkins started the business in 2010 to take their personal weight loss journeys to a new level. Together, they lost a combined 130 pounds by modifying their lifestyles to make healthy choices, including becoming physically active. Now they provide professional fitness coaching and serve as accountability partners to individuals who are motivated to lose weight and become fit.

Both Daniel and Tirzah earned their Certified Personal Trainer Certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

The Hawkins, who also recently purchased Vital Health, are most proud of the relationships they have built.

Daniel Hawkins of Where to Start Fitness

“We’ve helped so many clients achieve so many amazing results and have found so many lifelong friends along that way that we would never have met otherwise,” Tirzah said.

They always dream big, and their goals, Daniel said, keep growing.

“You never know what we’ll start next,” he said. “Our future plans are to keep building the fitness and natural health combination that will help people not just be thinner but help people be healthy in a more complete way.”

Award selection committee member Priscilla Glidewell credits the Hawkins for their “excellent support of the community” through their K-9 run each year that benefits the Stayton Police Department’s K-9 program, and “excellent service and products.”

Where to Start Fitness has sponsored a person looking to change their personal health and fitness levels, providing free training for a year. They held a Zumbathon to raise money for autism awareness, hosted a Fool Your Fat Run on April Fool’s Day, provided the means for students to raise money for school trips, and held fundraisers for churches and charities.

“Together, their desire to help people live happier and healthier lives is transforming our community,” said Janis Spurgeon Hite in her nomination letter.